


Of Chemistry and Nerve

by sheg0



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Mild Action, Skye/FitzSimmons friendship, bad girl shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-01-08
Packaged: 2018-01-08 00:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1126329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheg0/pseuds/sheg0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They stumbled into this dance and neither really know the steps. But they improvise. Set after the episode "The Magical Place."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a couple notes before we start this ride:  
> 1) This story is already finished and I will be posting it in 4 different parts.  
> 2) There are numerous TV shows and movie references throughout the story, I don't claim ownership of any of them.  
> 3) I also don't claim ownership of anything related to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It is an intellectual property of Marvel.  
> 4) I hope you enjoy it and that I did justice to these characters as it is my first time writing for this fandom.

 

__

  
_**“I didn’t wanna fall in love, not at all.  
But at some point you smiled, and, holy shit, I blew it.” - ** [[x](http://hopsam.tumblr.com/post/62402452673)]_

_i._

If Skye had to pinpoint the exact moment she started really caring for Jemma Simmons, she’d probably say it was around the time the scientist got sick and the whole team watched powerlessly how she fought for her life. Having her jump off of the plane to save everyone was just what confirmed it. Skye had never been as grateful of seeing someone as she was when Ward rescued her. It should’ve said so much about them at the time, the way her whole body filled with relief and she felt like she could breath again, but she didn’t stop to think what it meant and blamed it on the ever-growing soft spot she had for Simmons since day one.

She cares for everyone in her team, but with her it’s different. Coulson is slowly becoming a parental figure who she's still learning to trust. May is the biggest hardass she knows and hasn’t really warmed up to her, but she realizes the woman has saved and protected her multiple times. Ward is her SO and sometimes friend, the few times he takes the stick out of his ass; although Skye understands what it must be like to be in his position and have that responsibility. And Fitz is like the nerdy, sometimes grumpy friend she never knew she wanted. They get each other’s passions in a way no one else does, because technology is kind of their thing. And riling him up is an inexhaustible source of amusement. 

But Jemma. Proper, adorable, sweet Jemma. Skye was never the kind to have female friends, much less Jemma’s type; she was more of a tomboy in high school, hanging out with the wrong crowd. But Simmons is different; she’s found a real friend in her. There’s an instinct to protect her that was probably born the day she jumped off the plane. Skye also realizes she doesn’t mind the whole “good girl” thing that she usually would find annoying. Simmons, with her accent, her perfect ponytails, big bambi eyes, and impeccable fashion sense, manages to pull it off. 

It would never make sense in theory, but in practice, they mix well. They just don’t know how well yet.

 

 

Skye is training with Ward, like she does every day, and she’s getting good. After the last mission to save Coulson and how she took that gun out of the guard’s hand, just like Ward had taught her, Skye has started training with renewed energies. He holds the punching bag and she tries to keep focus in delivering punch after punch, ignoring the beads of sweat falling down her forehead and into her eyes. 

“Right, left, right, left. Come on, don’t lose the rhythm,” Ward says.

“I’m- try- ing,” Skye answers in between punches. 

Her lungs burn, her hands are on fire and she can’t remember a time when she wasn’t doing this. And then her wrist turns, and when her fist connects with the bag, her middle finger cracks loudly. Skye’s vision clouds from the pain and she lets out a howl. Ward is on her in a second and she clutches her hand tightly to her chest.

“Fuck!” She cries. The noises alert Jemma and Fitz who come out of the lab with wide, worried eyes. “I think I’m dying,” she says with clenched teeth.

Ward reaches for the hand, a deep frown in her brow. “Let me see.” Carefully, he takes her wrist and looks at the reddened, throbbing finger. “It’s nothing serious, you didn’t break it.”

Skye looks at him incredulously. “Whoopty-freaking-doo. It still hurts like a bitch.” It’s his fault she pushed herself too hard and all he can say is ‘you’re good, quit moaning’.

Luckily, Jemma comes in time to stop the imminent fight. “Ward, it’s okay. I can take it from here.” 

“You sure?” He asks, hands on his hips and giving Skye a look that could very fleetingly pass as worried.

Jemma flashes him a fake smile, wrapping an arm around Skye’s back and pulling the girl towards the lab. “I have two phD’s. I think I can handle a sprained finger.”

The scientist sits her on a stool next to her table and quickly reaches for the first-aid kit. Gently, but with precision, Simmons gets to work, taking off the wrap around Skye’s hand and assessing the damage. “Fitz, could you-?” Before she can finish the question, an ice pack materializes next to her. Jemma takes it with a smile and Skye marvels at their level of understanding right before another wave of pain flashes through her.

The ice-pack’s pressed to her knuckles and she sucks in a deep breath through clenched teeth, the nails on her good hand biting at her thigh. 

Jemma keeps whispering soothingly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” and behind her, Fitz watches like a hawk. “We were watching you train,” Simmons says when the ice begins to make effect and her hand starts to get numb. “He pushed you too hard.”

Skye sighs, “no… I was- I lost focus.” She tries to move her fingers and grimaces. “I should be more careful.” It pains her to admit it, because minutes ago she would’ve agreed that Ward was pushing her too far. But now, in retrospect, she knows she could handle it and so did he.

“Still, you won’t be training for at least a week. That would be barbaric,” Simmons adds. Skye can’t help but smile at her friend’s indignant expression. She sits like that for few minutes, with Jemma gently applying the ice and checking the swelling, until the pain starts to subside. “I’m gonna wrap it now. Tell me if it’s too tight or if you feel any discomfort at all.”

Skye nods, suddenly feeling extremely tired and filthy. She looks down at herself and notices the damp shirt sticking to her uncomfortably. God, she must stink, she thinks with a grimace. 

“I don’t think a shower has ever sounded so appealing before in my life,” she comments as Jemma begins to wrap her hand. Fitz, who’s sitting at the other side of the table now, closely watching Simmons’ work, glances at Skye’s attire, eyes getting stuck on her breast area. Jemma, who had also looked down at Skye’s clothes, notices him staring and gives him an incredulous look.

“What?” He mouths. She rolls her eyes and finishes with the bandage.

“There, all done.” Skye raises her hand to her eyes and inspects it. “Get some water and take two of these,” Simmons instructs as she gives her a couple of pain-killers. “And try to rest your hand as much as you can.”

Skye looks at her a little miserably. “But I just got the damn bracelet off; I can finally use my laptop!”

Simmons smiles amusedly. “I think you’ll survive without your hacking shenanigans for a few days.” She ushers Skye out of the stool. “Off you go. I’ll check back on you later. And please do go take that shower, you’re starting to smell.”

“Wow, you used to be nice,” Skye jokes as she leaves the lab. “What happened?”

“I started hanging with the wrong crowd,” Jemma fires back cheekily.

 

Skye soon realizes, without training or hacking to entertain her, there is so much she can do on the Bus before losing her mind. That morning finds her wandering into the lab, hand wrapped snugly with a new bandage, courtesy of the scientist that stands before her observing something through the microscope.

“Hey, Doc,” Skye greets. 

Simmons looks up surprised, not having heard her arrive she was so focused. “Hello, Skye. Did you need something?” She asks, then glances to the injured hand. “Is it bothering you?”

“Nah, I’m good. Well as good as I can be without internet access.” The girl takes a sit on a stool, her good hand hovering over the different petri dishes displayed before her. Simmons stares for a second, eyebrows scrunched together before she gets it. Skye’s bored.

“Well, you’re welcome to hang out around here as much as you like.” Skye flashes her a smile before she picks one of the petri dishes up. Simmons tuts. “Just… don’t…”

Skye puts the thing back, tucking her hand between her legs like a child that was caught stealing. “Right. No touching.”

Jemma smiles gratefully before going back to the microscope. Skye spins a little on her stool, eyes wandering around. After a short silence she asks: “Where’s Fitz?”

Simmons simply replies: “Supply Room”. She writes something down and changes the petri dish. A couple silent minutes later, Skye is considering taking a nap just to pass the time, when Jemma gasps and then does this adorable little jump before remembering there’s someone else in the room and regaining her composure.

Skye can’t help but ask, “what? What is it?”

Simmons is still smiling when she turns to her. “Agent Coulson asked me to analyse some samples from a crater that was found next to a farm in Ireland last month. They didn’t think anything of it, but recently a few farmers said that others had appeared and some even claimed to have seen a strange glow in the rubble.” Skye looks at the dozens of samples spread on the table. “Coulson thought there might be alien presence. After twenty negative dishes, I started doubting it, but this…” Simmons points at the microscope. “This, I believe, is an alien bacterial species, and that is- oh my God,” Simmons joins her hands and looks at the ceiling with a huge grin. “I love my job.”

Skye snorts amused, “okay… why is it such a big deal?”

Jemma looks affronted. “Imagine all the things we can learn about microbiotic alien life from this!” Skye doesn’t look convinced. “They’re tiny life forms! From other planets!” Jemma exclaims excitedly.

“Alright, weirdo.” Jemma rolls her eyes at that and goes back to the microscope, furiously taking down notes. Skye watches her, growing increasingly curious by the moment. After a while she finally asks, “can I look?”

Simmons cocks an eyebrow at her but says nothing, stepping aside to let her reach the microscope. “So, what am I looking for?” Skye asks, bending over the instrument.

“Small, tadpole-like organisms, with a faint glowing greenish membrane.”

Skye hums. Then something similar to that description enters her line of vision. “Oh. Those wiggly little dudes?” She asks grinning. They’re kinda cute.

Simmons frowns, but she concedes. “Yes. Those... _wiggly little dudes_.”

 

 

Skye keeps coming back. Every day she asks Simmons about the “little dudes” and every day, Simmons has new information about their physiology and behavior. It gets to the point where Fitz starts glaring at her from his spot of the lab, jealous of how Skye is hoarding Jemma’s attention. But Jemma is delighted; it makes her so happy that someone is interested in her discoveries and Skye is a good pupil, she’s learnt more about biology in these visits to the lab that she ever did in high school. At first she only asked her because there was nothing else to do in the Bus, but lately, she’s been understanding more and more why Jemma is so in love with her work.

Also, she’s growing fond of the alien bugs.

“Alien bacteria,” Simmons corrects her for the nth time. It doesn’t change anything. Soon, Skye starts giving them names; although they all look the same, she swears she can tell the difference.

 

 

One night, Skye finds FitzSimmons in the Lounge, curled up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn between them.

“Skye,” Simmons says with a grin, always the excited puppy. “We’re watching this very scary film called 28 Days Later, wanna join?”

“Uh,” Skye only thinks about it for a minute. The alternative would be to spend the night browsing Tumblr and Reddit, and trolling fedora guys using only one hand is much more tiring than usual. She guesses there’s always time for that later. “Sure.”

She takes a seat next to Simmons and the british girl quickly pulls on the blanket covering her and Fitz to give Skye some. Fitz makes an annoyed sound but a glare from Jemma silences him. Skye presses her side to Simmons’, sharing their body heat. 

Half-way into the movie, Skye leans into Jemma, “I didn’t know you liked zombies.”

“They’re not,” the girl replies, eyes glued to the screen. “Not really. It’s a highly contagious virus that turns people into rabid, psychotic monsters.”

Skye frowns at her, “that sounds like zombies to me.”

Jemma gives her a condescending look, “it’s a little more complicated than that. There are many kinds of infections; this one happens to have very real scientific bases.”

At this point Skye is arguing with her for the sake of arguing. “So, you’re saying zombies could be real,” she asks with a little smirk.

“Well,” Jemma seems affronted. “I’m not saying it couldn’t happen.”

“You two,” Fitz growls angrily, “shut. Up.”

Skye huffs and Jemma looks properly chastised. When the movie ends, a sleepy Fitz picks up the popcorn bowl and leaves with a mumbled “good night”. Jemma off-handedly comments that she has the second movie and they end up watching that too. At some point Simmons’ head ends up on Skye’s shoulder and the hacker doesn’t even stop to wonder when they got to that point of their friendship where they bicker back and forth one moment just to cuddle up together the next. It just sort of happens.

When Coulson takes the crater samples to send them to the Hub, Simmons feels a bit like they’re taking her children away. She mopes as they land at an unknown base and strange men in uniform take the briefcases away with the bacteria and all of her notes. Skye arrives just in time to catch her reprimanding one of the men for not handling it with care and respect.

“Oh-kay, let’s take a deep breath here, uh?” She pulls Simmons to one of the stools and the girl crosses her arms petulantly. Skye puts her hands on her shoulders and looks at her seriously. “It’s the cycle of life Simmons. They grow up and they leave. It’s time for them to start their life elsewhere.”

Despite herself, Jemma cracks a smile, pushing on Skye’s shoulder gently. “Oh, shut it.”

“Come on, we have a couple hours until we take off; I asked Coulson.” Skye is pulling the gray lab coat off of her and Jemma lets her. 

“Where are we going?” She asks confused as the hacker fixes her crooked tie and pushes her out of the lab. 

“We’re taking Lola for a spin.” Skye pulls the car keys out of the pocket of her jeans and throws them into the air before catching them. Perks of being on Coulson’s good side, she thinks. “I have no idea where we are, but there’s gotta be a dinner around here somewhere. I’m dying for a greasy burger.”

Simmons wonders why Skye didn’t invite Fitz, or any of the others for that matter, but she keeps quiet. “Can you drive?” She asks instead; Skye’s hand is still bandaged. The other girl answer with a wave and a “pft, yeah.” Simmons doesn’t argue because she feels giddy and delighted that the girl chose her to be her company out of all the members of their team. Back in high school, the cool girls who went out to parties and drove convertibles never invited her to anything. And apart from the huge ego bust, there’s also the absolutely innocuous girl-crush she’s harboring on the girl. Totally no big deal.

A song plays on the radio, one of those teenage hymns about love and whatnot. They sing along, because it’s impossible not to, and it tastes sweet, like summer, even though it’s still early spring. Skye has a nice voice, Simmons notices, but they’re just goofing around. The girl turns to her, singing through a grin, head bobbing as the wind ruffles her hair and Simmons thinks it’s unfair how beautiful she looks. They stop at a charming little town and find a dinner that promises to have the best cheese fries in town. 

“Well, I’m sold,” Skye says.

The food is greasy and delicious and everything Jemma always imagined the real American food to be. They share a basket of cheese fries and Skye moans and groans at how good they are, to the point that Simmons has to kick her under the table because people are staring. Skye laughs and teases her, and they make up stories about the clients of the dinner. After they finish their food, Skye orders a chocolate milkshake and Simmons marvels at how someone who eats so much and so bad, can keep such a toned body. Then she blushes because she was thinking of Skye’s toned body.

Simmons drives on the way back, because Skye keeps complaining that her stomach hurts. After they park Lola, Skye takes the keys to give them back to Coulson and report to him that they’re back without a scratch, (“and we’re fine too, thank you for asking!”). Simmons is completely taken aback when Skye hugs her and says: “That was fun, let’s do it again sometime.” She can barely pat her back before Skye’s pulling away and adding: “but promise me you won’t let me get the milkshake next time.”

Jemma can’t remember the last time she went on a date, but she recalls it felt a little like this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge movie reference at the beginning of this chapter. All those of you who get it, you have great taste.

_ ii. _

Skye’s hand is getting better. Simmons's finds the door to her room half open that evening and she peers in only to find her sitting cross-legged on her bed, fingers flying over the keyboard.  

“Hey, I see righty is back to work,” she says somewhat awkwardly, never having been in Skye’s room before.

Skye looks up and chuckles, then waves her fingers at Simmons jokingly. “Almost good as new.” 

“Glad to hear that.” When Skye doesn’t go back to her thing, Simmons takes it as an invitation to come in. She takes a quick glance around the place, noticing how completely empty and impersonal it is. “So, what are you up to?”

“Oh, nothing just-” she waves around before biting her lip. “Okay, actually, I’m trying to find this movie I’ve been dying to watch, but it’s impossible to get it because it’s still doing festivals so it’s technically not out yet.”

Simmons peers over the screen and notices Skye’s in a forum of sorts. “What film is it?”

“Uh, it’s ah-” Skye stammers. “It’s French.”

Jemma hums, taking it as a valid answer. “Any luck?”

“Actually, yeah.” Skye replies with a proud beam. “I think I might’ve got it. Had to pull some strings, cash in some favors. I was just thanking my dealer, so to speak, when you came in.”

“That’s great!” Jemma’s smile falls a little. “Not the part where that is completely illegal and you’re breaking several property laws but… I’m glad your quest was a success.”

“Relax.” Skye rolls her eyes as she moves to a more comfortable position against the headboard, opening her video player program. “I’m going to pay for it when it’s in the theaters anyways.”

“Mh, in that case…” Jemma seems to think about it for a moment, “can I watch it with you?”

Skye freezes, hands halfway into her hair to put it up in a ponytail. She looks at Jemma wide-eyed and gapes like a fish, at a loss for a reply. “I don’t know if you’ll like it…”

“I quite enjoy French films. Plus, you’ve made me all curious now.”

Skye finishes doing her ponytail and bobs her head awkwardly, “yeah, sure. Hop in.”

Jemma joins her on the bed, her hands resting on her stomach. Skye puts the laptop halfway into their laps and with a last sideway glance and a mental “oh, fuck it” she presses play.

A few minutes in, Skye coughs. “It’s uh, supposed to be a very artsy and organic movie.” Simmons nods interested. “Won a ton of awards and stuff…”

It doesn’t take long for Jemma to understand what “organic” means. In true French fashion, the story depicts quite mature scenes of the protagonist pleasuring herself and of her and a young man having sex. Still, the scientist is captivated by the images and the story-telling. But it’s only when the real love interest of the protagonist appears, a girl, that Simmons gasps in surprise. Skye glances at her worriedly, but Jemma seems enraptured, incapable of looking away from the events unfolding on the screen, so Skye relaxes back and enjoys the movie. 

Jemma comments through the whole movie - she’s the kind of person who does that - mumbling “how sweet”, “no, don’t do that” and “what a twat” under her breath. Skye finds it completely adorable. And then the scene Skye was waiting for and dreading at the same time arrives. There have been talks about this on the internet for months: a ten minutes long lesbian sex scene that leaves little to the imagination. The girl’s on the screen are taking off their clothes, kissing passionately and rubbing all over each other. She shifts on her spot and bites her cheek, and out of the corner of her eye, sees Simmons’ hands squeezing together.

“Oh my…” Jemma mumbles, eyes wide and unblinking. “Is that- is that really how it goes?”

She turns to Skye, like she’s waiting for an answer and the girl in question can only chuckle awkwardly, “I don’t…” she trails off.

But Simmons keeps talking. “That looks… complicated.” There are moans and groans coming from the speakers of her laptop and Skye can feel her skin burning up. She laughs; joking around seems like a good way to break the tension. 

“Yeah, they went pretty crazy with these scenes.” Skye’s arm is pressed to Jemma’s all the way from shoulder to elbow and she becomes uncomfortably aware of this. She doesn’t want to move away, but she’s sure Jemma has to notice how she’s as stiff as a board. The air around them is thick and Skye wants to scream. She never gets weird around anyone, breaking the ice in uncomfortable situations is like _her thing_.

Finally, _finally,_ the scene is over and she lets out a breath.

“Well,” Jemma huffs. “That was something.”

“Yeah,” Skye replies, rolling her shoulder and relaxing her stiff back. The movie continues and they watch the protagonist grow and go from happiness to heartbreak. At one point, Skye hears sniffling and she turns in time to see Jemma wipe a couple tears away.

“Aww,” she teases.

“It’s very sad,” Jemma defends herself. “Shut up.”

The story end in a very bittersweet note and when the credits roll, Skye stops the player and shuts her laptop closed. She turns to Simmons, not sure what to say, but the girl beats her to the punch.

“That was… a roller-coaster of emotions.”

“Did you like it?” 

“Yes, I loved it. It was beautiful.” She pushes herself up and out of the bed, patting down on her hair and readjusting her shirt. “Totally worth the whole illegal part.”

“Cool, cool. Yeah, it was…” Skye thinks back on the movie she just watched, noticing nothing really stuck that much. She’s gonna have to watch it again soon because she was totally distracted. “Good.”

Simmons checks her watch and tsks. “Well, it’s getting rather late, I should head to bed.”

“Yeah, same.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yep.”

“Have a good night, Skye,” Jemma says before walking out of the bunk and closing the door behind her. After the familiar sound of the sealed door, Skye falls back onto the bed and presses her palms to her eyes. 

“What the hell?” She asks herself in a whisper. “What is wrong with you?” 

That night, Skye stares into the darkness of her ceiling unseeing. Her mind keeps wandering and her skin feels itchy and before she can understand what she’s doing, her hand is slipping down the front of her body and into her pajama pants, the ones that have Darth Vader printed all over them. She touches herself and like a dam that breaks, a myriad of images flood her mind. Naked bodies writhing together, pale skin, brown eyes, pink lips, and she’s so wet. Her bad hand clutches at the pillow under her head so tight it stings but she’s so lost in her fantasy it doesn’t even matter. She’s pushing and pulling at her sensitive flesh and there’s a constant in the images that she can’t ignore. Skye comes so hard she makes the bed shake.

It’s only after her breathing has slowed down and she’s on the verge of falling asleep that she realizes she just got herself off to thoughts of Simmons.

 

 

It starts like that. Something shifts between them and the energy around them changes. The subtle looks and soft touches, become heavily charged looks and electric touches. Skye can tell the others notice something’s different, and she tries really hard to act normally but the facts remain: she masturbated to thoughts of Jemma Simmons and every time she sees her now, that’s all she can think about. When they talk, she can’t tell between teasing and flirting and when their eyes meet, she’s not sure if she really sees that longing or if she’s just projecting. So she covers her frustration with jokes, teases Ward mercilessly and pesters Coulson about giving her more freedom.

Her training resumes, and at least that keeps her a little distracted. Coulson stops her on the way to her room after the first training session and asks her to deliver some files to FitzSimmons in the lab. She agrees, thinking it’d be completely ridiculous to deny such request just because she gets weird around Simmons these days.

Fitz and Simmons are head to head, hunched over some device, surely one of Fitz’s creations. 

“Hey. ‘Sup.” Fitz barely glances up at her, waving a little, but Simmons fixes her eyes on her and smiles softly. “Coulson sent me with these. I kinda peeked; it’s about the little dudes.”

She hands the files to Simmons who practically snatches them away. “They determined their planet of origin. Oh my God, look at that,” she says to no one in particular, skimming through the documents quickly, before looking up at Skye. “Their glowing is increasing,” she tells in her awe.

“That’s… really cool,” she replies honestly.

“Thank you, Skye. For brining it, I mean.”

“Yeah, sure,” Skye waves it off. “I just finished training so I wasn’t really busy.”

“Oh, how’s your hand doing?” 

Skye flexes it to show Simmons it’s perfectly fine. “I still pack a mean punch.” Fitz snorts and Skye glares at him. “Anyway, I’m gonna take a shower. I’ll catch you guys later.”

As she leaves, Simmons’ eyes follow her out and they slowly wander down to her backside, so snuggly encased in her yoga pants. A cough makes her snap out of it and she turns to Fitz, who’s looking at her incredulously. 

“What?” She asks innocently. He rolls his eyes. It all feels oddly familiar.

 

Things had been kind of slow since they caught Raina, and S.H.I.E.L.D. is still trying to find out anything about this Clairvoyance guy. The Centipede Project seems to be on hold for the moment and no one is complaining. But then, after days without any important mission, Coulson calls them all to the Comm Room to discuss a potentially concerning matter.

“This man is Emilio Cortazar,” Agent Coulson explains as he shows a picture of a man in his late forties on the big screen, followed by a few other pictures of Cortazar in public, taken obviously without his knowledge. “He works at the New Mexico State University, Department of Physics.” Coulson keeps tapping on the keyboard and a map shows on the screen. “It has come to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention that he could be trying to replicate Tony Stark’s famous device, the arc reactor.”

“You’re kidding,” Skye comments dumbfounded. Next to her, Fitz and Simmons have stars in their eyes and she faintly hears Simmons mumble “ _the_ Tony Stark.”

“I’m afraid not. It’s dangerous enough when it’s only one playboy billionaire playing with such unstable devices, but after a series of events that I’m sure all of you remember, Mr. Stark has won S.H.I.E.L.D.’s trust. Now, it appears this man has been following Mr. Stark’s investigations closely and it’s been brought to our attention that he might be close to recreate the arc reactor with the very dangerous and poisonous element of Palladium.”

“Is Stark aware of this?” May asks, like he knows the guy personally and Skye thinks she just might. “I can’t imagine he’d be too happy.”

“Unfortunately him and Ms. Potts both seem to have taken some sort of vacation and are completely unreachable.” Coulson frowns. “In any case, these suspicions are not confirmed and our source couldn’t really provide any prove. So that’s what we’re trying to find now.”

“Could it be possible,” Ward asks, rubbing his chin with his hand, “that he was working for Stark Industries?”

“The possibilities of that being true are slim to none,” Coulson replies. “Mr. Stark prefers to work alone.”

“His ego is too big to share his work with anyone,” May adds. It seems she’s not as impressed by the man as the scientists in the room are.

“No wonder; that man is a genius,” Fitz says, coming in his defense. “For anyone to replicate what he did, they’d have to have access to hi-tech, a superior knowledge about physics and an important income of money. This is no amateur job.”

“But you could do it, right?” Jemma asks him. Fitz shrugs, then nods. “Then it is possible.”

“If it was true and the arc reactor fell into bad hands, the results could be catastrophic.” Coulson crosses his arms and stares at the screen unblinking. “But we have no proof. This man is very meticulous in not leaving any tracks of his work. We’re gonna have to wait for permission from above to interfere.”

Skye rolls her eyes - Director Victoria Hand always manages to meddle in their missions even when she’s not there.

“But,” Coulson says, turning to her, “if someone was to stumble upon some irrefutable information with their computer, they would be forced to accept it.”

A Chesire cat grin grows on Skye’s face. She flexes her fingers together and tells him: “On it, boss.”

 

 

She’s sitting on the couch, legs crossed and completely immersed in the codes and data flashing on her laptop screen. God, she missed this. The thrill of breaking the rules and crawling into cybernetic spaces she shouldn’t, the satisfaction of knowing no shield or software is enough to stop her.

She’s started working on this Cortazar guy. Hacked the University files, and looked for anything that would point in the direction of him trying to build an arc reactor. So far, no such luck.

“Hey, how’s the Cortazar thing going?” Jemma asks. She walks around the couch and sits next to her, handing her a cup of steaming coffee while she keeps her tea.

“Thanks,” Skye replies with a distracted smile. She takes a gulp, then puts it on the table to continue her work. “And not that good, there’s nothing that would incriminate him here. According to the University files, they’ve never even acquired any Palladium.”

“Mhmm,” Simmons hums. “Maybe he didn’t purchase it through the University. Maybe he got it himself?”

“That’s a lot of money for a simple college professor,” Skye musses.

“Well, not if someone was helping him,” Simmons comments off-handedly. The hacker turns to her, eyes wide and a wicked smile on. 

“His bank account,” Skye whispers. “Nice, Agent Simmons.” Her fingers start tapping at a frenzied pace, and Jemma watches in awe how the girl moves so confidently in her element.

“Can you do that?” Simmons asks, always the good girl. Still, she leans closer, sitting sideways on the couch, and peers at Skye’s screen.

“Of course. I hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D. remember?”

“Yes. And they caught you, remember?”

“I do, thank you for reminding me though,” Skye replies sarcastically. “They won’t trace it back here, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m like a ghost.” Skye smirks smugly, then stops tapping for a second and grins. “No, I’m like a ninja. I’m a cyber-ninja.”

“Wow…” Simmons deadpans. Skye cranes her neck to glare at her, finding the girl much closer than she remembered. But the glare is rather ineffective when her eyes dart down to Simmons lips before she looks back at the screen. Seconds later, Simmons asks: “What are you doing anyways?”

Skye seems surprised by the question, but replies anyways, a bunch of technical mumbo-jumbo - and she would admit that some of it is not actually accurate, but it sounds cool and she likes the way Simmons looks when she’s confused and a little bit impressed.

“You do realize that was gibberish to me, right?”

“Now you know how we feel when you go on one of your rants about molecules and proteins.”

“I explained the alien bacterium to you in a simple matter, did I not?”

“I guess you did,” Skye accepts.

“Then come on, teach me how to hack.”

Skye does a double take. “What, like, for real?”

“Yes,” Simmons bounces on the couch until she’s pressed herself completely against Skye's side. She gives her one of those heavy looks and pulls at her lip with her teeth before releasing it. “Show me your skills, cyber-ninja.”

 

 

“He’s working with someone else,” Skye announces as she bursts into Coulson’s office, followed closely by Jemma. Agent Coulson jumps a little in his seat and fumbles with some cards, quickly hiding them under a stack of documents, just before Simmons drops a stack of files in front of him. “Cortazar. He’s being paid by a third party. The University has nothing to do with his investigations.”

Coulson picks the files and raises his eyebrows for them to continue.

“We hacked into his bank account,” Jemma says, a little out of breath.

“Yes,” Skye confirms, “it wasn’t too hard, we got some information about him from his University files and then it was just a bit of-”

“-digging!” Jemma finishes her sentence. “And in the last two months, he received three transfers of six digits from some company named-”

“Aidos Corporation.” Skye continues. “So we went to the page and everything seemed normal apart from the fact that we couldn’t really figure out what they were actually selling, right?”

“It’s fake,” Simmons can’t contain herself. “We hacked that too, and that one was a piece of cake,” she says smugly, glancing briefly at Skye who seems to be just as satisfied with herself, “turns out there’s no Aidos Corp.”

“It’s just a cover; but a cover for what?” Skye turns to Jemma and puts a hand on her forearm. “I admit for a second there we thought we found a dead-end.” Simmons nods agreeing.

“So after that, there was only one other thing to look into.” Coulson sits a bit straighter, interest piqued by now. “His email.”

“It was boring as hell,” Skye comments. “Students asking questions, PizzaHut’s promotions, spam and more spam.”

“And then we saw it: six messages sent between the last five months, saying innocuous but absurd things like: ‘we’ll see you at kerosene soon, I hope. Make my drink stronger this time.’ And they were all from the same person. His name:” Simmons pauses for effect, “Aidan Osbourne.”

The two girls stare at Coulson expectantly and he shakes his head. “Is that name supposed to tell me something?”

“Aidan. Osbourne,” Skye repeats. “Aid-os. Aidos Corp! Damn Coulson, how did you ever get to level 8?”

He points a warning finger at Skye, but Simmons cuts him off. “We looked into him and we were pleased to find that he exists. There’s no police records of him and no pictures, which leeds us to think that Adian Osbourne is a pseudonym. But most interesting? This pseudonym bought a bar right next to the campus a year ago.”

“Kerosene,” Skye clarifies. “The guy whose fake company is funding Cortazar’s research bought a place right near the campus where he works. And the last message - dated _today_ \- said, and I quote “Tomorrow at midnight, bring it to the fire.” It sounds absolutely ridiculous but I think it means he’s going to give him something important tomorrow night. Maybe even the finished instructions for the arc reactor. If that’s not enough proof for the Director, I don’t know what will be.”

Coulson rubs his hands and nods slowly. “I’ll send her your findings, we’ll probably have the permission by tomorrow.”

“Probably?” Skye complains.

Coulson stands to walk them out. “You did a good job, girls. I didn’t know you could work so well together.” They smile at each other shyly but also kinda proud. “But for now, all we can do is wait.”

“Any moment now, this guy could finish the arc reactor's plans and give it to this Aidan dude and who knows what he’ll do. His name is super creepy, he has to be up to something evil!” Skye complains as Coulson pushes them out of his office.

“Take a break, Skye,” it’s the last thing he says before closing the door. She huffs and stomps to her room. Simmons trails behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mission on this chapter is based on the promotional picture of Skye and Jemma sitting at a table in what looks like some bar.
> 
> Also there's a hidden reference to another great sci-fi show, hope you catch it!

_ iii. _

 

Simmons wakes up with her clothes still on and in a strange room. She blinks the sleep away and remembers that she and Skye fell asleep waiting for news on the mission while watching Adventure Time. Simmons didn’t know that show, but Skye explained that it was her favorite distraction for when she was pissed at someone. Jemma found the show complete and utter non-sense, but charming in a way. She also felt rather identified with Princess Bubblegum and she had to admit that Skye was very Marceline at times. 

Mindful not to wake Skye, she climbs out of the bed and pulls at her tie, untangling it from her shirt. How uncomfortable these are for sleeping. She’s about to leave when Skye’s slumbering form distracts her. Jemma watches her sleep for a few seconds, watches her nose twitch because a lock of her hair is tickling it. Carefully, she pushes the lock back and out of the girls face and then stands there with a dreamy smile for a few more seconds before leaving the room.

She showers and gets dressed for the day, then joins Ward and Fitz on the Lounge. Fitz is breathing over his cuppa, head in his hand and still half asleep, while Ward munches unceremoniously on a toast, eyes fixed to a point in the infinite.

“Morning,” she says. She gets a “good morning” from Ward and a grunt from Fitz. He and Skye are the worst morning people in this plane. Thinking of Skye again brings a small smile to her face. She turns to prepare her tea, glancing at the coffee pot and remembering how she made some for Skye the day before.

She decides one more time won’t hurt. Besides, her coffee is superb.

 

 

They get the permission after lunch. Coulson tells them that the priority is to obtain the plans for the arc reactor, make sure the exchange is never completed and they never fall into the wrong hands. But before making any move, they must wait for Osbourne to show up, otherwise, if he realizes S.H.I.E.L.D. is onto him, he will escape and they will lose their only oportunity to catch the elusive man. Skye and FitzSimmons are going to be the eyes of the operation, because three kids at a college bar are the most inconspicuous thing. When the exchange is done, the recon team should give the green light to May and Ward who will detain Osbourne and Cortazar. They are to do so on their own because after studying the case more closely, Coulson has determined this Aidan person is probably armed and dangerous. May and Ward will intervene when the targets leave the place as to not draw any attention, and will detain them, snatch the arc reactor and immediately send it to the Sandbox.

Easy peasy.

Kerosene is a dark place, with small tables spread in an irregular pattern. The walls are reddish and there are dozens of mismatched lamps lighting up room. The music is not too loud, but Skye can tell it’s the kind of indie music that Simmons listens to. All in all, it looks like a cool place to hang.

“We’re in,” she mumbles to the mic hidden under her leather jacket.

“Right. Sit and act natural, you’re just three college kids out for a drink,” Ward replies through her earpiece. “But keep your eyes open; we don’t know what Osbourne looks like, but we know Cortazar.”

“Roger that,” Skye replies, earning a weird look from Fitz. She sits down on a table and he follows. Simmons looks around at the few strewn kids, sipping on beers and talking amicably. 

“I’m gonna get us something to drink.” She looks questioningly at the other two. “Beer?”

“Yeah,” Skye replies distracted, eyes scouring the place.

“Oh,” Fitz leans forward, eyes wide, “get me a pint of Fosters.”

Jemma squints at him and says between her teeth: “we’re on a mission, Leo, you’ll get whatever they have.” She leaves for the bar and Fitz slumps backwards in his chair.

Skye looks at her watch nervously. She doesn’t know why she feels like succeeding in this mission is so important. Maybe because she and Jemma uncovered most of Osbourne’s plan and it feels like it’s _their_ mission.

Jemma comes back with three bottles of beer and takes a seat in front of Skye. The hacker thanks her and takes a quick gulp, staring at Jemma over her bottle. She hides a smile at the way Simmons sips so lady-like; it makes her look a bit out of place in this darkened bar. The collared shirt and her perfect posture don't help either.

She glances at her watch again and angles her chair to get a clear visual of the front door. But it hasn’t opened since they arrived and her beer is cool against her hand so she soon starts to relax. A few kids are chanting in the corner, “chug, chug, chug,” as their friend downs a large mug of beer. She chuckles.

“Man, I had missed college bars,” she comments wistfully. 

“Did you ever go to college?” Fitz asks bluntly.

Skye glares at him, “no.” She reclines back, recalling the good ol’ days. “But they’re always good places to meet people.”

“Ah, so it was your spot to find a shag,” he teases. 

Skye is shameless though, shrugs and says: “Sometimes. I also met other hackers.” Fitz seems placated, so she decides to push a bit more. “Then there was Claudia. She was both.”

Fitz chokes on his beer, spilling it all over his pants in a coughing fit. Jemma holds back a laugh, sending Skye a small smile instead. Their eyes meet in complicity and Skye winks at her before bringing the beer to her lips.

“Crap, crap!” Fitz is saying as he tries to avoid looking like he peed himself. He looks up at Jemma who’s biting her lip to stop the laugh that wants to scape and says: “it’s not funny!” which makes it ten times funnier. “Did you hear what she said? She- she-“

Fitz looks from one to the other, and both seem incredibly amused with his reaction, so he picks his empty bottle and stands. “I’m gonna go clean this. Please try to remember we’re on a mission,” he says pointedly before leaving. 

They burst into giggles as soon as he’s out of earshot. “You’re incorrigible,” Jemma scolds good-naturedly. Skye just shrugs. They sit in silence for a minute, listening to the slow song that's playing at the moment. “Was it true, though?” Simmons asks curiously and Skye knows without a doubt what she’s asking.

Skye glances away before biting her tongue in thought. “Yeah,” she finally says. “We had fun. I don’t limit myself, I like what I like.” She looks at Simmons, who’s got her whole attention on Skye, hands wrapped around the bottle on the table and head tilted. “It wasn’t serious though, just… well, sex.” 

Jemma nods, absorbing all this new information. Skye shrugs one shoulder, looks up at her through her lashes, “with someone else though, the right someone…” she trails off and shrugs again. Their eyes hold each other intensely, the air so thick and the tension so palpable, it feels like a dare, a confession and plead, all wrapped into a few interminable seconds.

Until, “what are you two doing? Didn’t you see him waltz in just now?” Fitz ask frantically as he rounds the table and takes a seat. He looks grumpy and confused, and Skye and Simmons break eye-contact a little guiltily. Cortazar is approaching the bar and taking a seat at one of the stools. A quick look around tells Skye that there’s no one else new, so Osbourne must be elsewhere still. She decides to take a closer look.

“What are you doing?” Simmons whispers harshly when she starts to approach the bar. 

“Getting another beer,” she replies simply.

“They said don’t engage!”

“I just want a closer look, okay? Relax.” She throws back a calming smile at Simmons before walking to the man that is hunched over the bar. Skye stands next to him, a five dollar bill in her hand, and calls at the bartender. “Another beer, please.”

“I’ll have one too,” Cortazar says, surprising Skye. He turns to her, eyes tired and a two weeks unkept beard and smiles tightly. She returns it. When she tries to pay, the man cuts her off. “It’s okay, this one’s on me.”

“Oh you don’t have to do that,” Skye says, panicking a little. Did the guy realize who she was? Was he testing her?

“Please,” he insists and before she can protest, he’s pulling a small stack of bills from his pocket, folded in the middle. He looks at it and lets out a humorless laugh. “I’m gonna be filthy rich soon anyways.” Cortazar takes the bartender’s hand and presses the stack into it, before catching his eye and saying: “take the rest and get out of this place, kid.”

The bartender, a young guy, not much older than Skye herself, looks at it and then at her with wide eyes, before quickly pocketing the money and walking into the back room, probably to count it, Skye guesses. 

Skye, still a bit in shock, stammers a quick “thanks for the beer,” to which the man responds with a grunt. She leaves him to mope at the bar and makes her way to her friends.

“Well?” Jemma asks expectantly as soon as she sits. Skye shakes her head.

“He looks so unhappy,” she says, unhelpfully.

“Yeah, I bet he hates being one of the two brilliant physicians to figure out how to build an arc reactor,” Fitz says sarcastically, “what a blow to one’s self-esteem that must be.”

Skye ignores him. “He tipped the bartender a month’s worth of pay.”

“Wow,” Jemma breathes out. “Did you find out anything about Osbourne?”

“No,” Skye laments. “He only commented that he was going to be filthy rich soon.”

“Yes, totally depressed,” Fitz mutters.

Jemma looks at her watch. “It’s way past midnight. When is this Aidan person going to-“ the words die in Jemma’s mouth and Skye watches her eyes widen. “Oh no.”

“What?” She turns, not very discreetly, and her heart drops to her stomach when she sees Cortazar zipping up his coat and walking to the front door. “No, no, no, what’s he doing?”

Next to her, Simmons leans down into the collar of her jacket. “He’s leaving. Cortazar is leaving and Osbourne is nowhere in sight.”

“What do you mean? Did you miss him?” May asks angrily.

“No!” Skye replies, standing up and ready to follow the guy. Simmons grabs her arm and shakes her head, reminding her they are not supposed to follow him outside. “No one else came in here! If he came with the blueprints, he must still have them.”

There’s a second of silence through her earpiece before May replies: “fine.”

“We need to follow him,” Skye tells Fitz and Simmons. Jemma is already shaking her head fervently.

“We’re supposed to stay here,” Fitz enunciates slowly, “just like we weren’t supposed to engage anyone. Those were the orders.”

Skye’s mind is rilling and she asks the question that worries her the most. “Do you think he figured out who we were?” _Because I talked to him,_ is what she doesn’t say.

“I don’t know,” Simmons says.

“It’s a possibility,” Fitz adds, less kindly.

The thing with Skye’s brain is that once it makes a decision, there’s no going back. It’s all or nothing, no rule or protocol can change her mind. Her mission, the one she and Simmons totally _owned_ , is going to be ruined because she had to be a smart-ass, once again. The second the thought crosses her mind, she’s on her feet and running towards the door.

“Skye! Stop!” Jemma cries before she and Fitz follow her closely behind.

“We can’t let him get away!” Skye yells back. The cold air hits her face and ruffles her hair and she snaps her head left and right, trying to spot the man. He is waiting at a walkway further down the street, Skye recognizes his coat. She runs, only one thought on her mind: ‘get the reactor, don’t screw this up.’

“Cortazar!” She yells when she’s close enough. The man turns, a surprised expression on his face and she stops. Behind her, Simmons and Fitz catch up to her. Cortazar stares at the three kids confused, until his eyes start to widen.

“You…” he stumbles a couple steps forward and instinctively, Skye steps in front of Simmons. The man stars shaking his head. “You’re here for me.” He puts his hand under his coat nervously. “He said you might come find me; he said to be prepared.” With shaking hands, the man pulls out a gun and points it at them clumsily, like he’s never held one before. 

“Woah, buddy.” Skye puts her hands up, trying to calm the man down. “We just want the reactor.” 

Cortazar chuckles darkly. “I don’t have it,” he says, waving his arms around before pointing the gun back at them. “I never wanted any of this anyway. Tell them; tell them Emilio never-“

The team’s black SUV screeches to a stop right beside Cortazar. The side door opens and Ward steps down, not losing a second to karate-chop the gun out of the man’s hand, handcuff him and push him into the vehicle. He shuts the door and turns to Skye, Fitz and Simmons, positively fuming.

“What are you doing here?” he growls. “The instructions were clear.”

“He doesn’t have it,” Skye answers instead. “It doesn’t make sense, Osbourne never showed up.”

“Get in the car, we’ll talk about this later,” he snaps at them.

“But-“ she tries to protest.

“Come on,” Jemma mutters, pulling at her wrist. Skye doesn’t move an inch.

The side door of the SUV opens and May is there, arms crossed and looking murderous. “He’s clean.”

“I told you,” Cortazar sing-songs, before dropping his forehead onto the door.

“He’s also being unsurprisingly unhelpful,” May adds, throwing a dark look at the hunched down figure.

Ward rubs at his face hard and heaves a sigh. “The Director’s not gonna like this.”

“We need to start looking for Osbourne,” May says firmly, “we’re wasting time.”

“No, Osbourne wasn’t at that bar tonight,” Skye insists. “There’s no way we missed him.”

“Is there, really?” Ward spits angrily. “Or maybe you were too distracted to notice something suspicious.” He looks between her and the other two, burying them with guilt.

“I swear he didn’t talk to anyone,” Skye says ardently, eyes pleading for his OS to believe her. 

“Skye,” Simmons grabs her arm again, trying to calm her down.

“No!” The girl pulls herself free harshly, missing the hurt look that crosses Jemma’s face. “Listen, he only talked to me and-“

The blood in her veins freezes as the events of that night unfold in her mind. Cortazar sitting alone in the bar, the thick stack of money, the brief look of panic of the bartender, the advice for him to leave that place. How could she be so blind?

“The bartender,” Skye thinks aloud. “The bartender’s the bridge.”

Cortazar chuckles from inside the car and mutters, “smart one.”

“What are you talking about? Skye?” Ward asks.

Skye recounts the situation, how Cortazar gave something to the bartender, a stack of money that could’ve been hiding something, how the guy looked at her quite panicked, in case she had noticed anything. Ward looks back at May, who nods and jumps out of the car, closing it from outside.

“Stay here,” Ward says.

“No, we’re coming with-“ Skye starts to say, but just one look from Ward cuts her off.

“Stay. Here.” He enunciates. “You need to make sure Cortazar doesn’t go anywhere and wait until further instruction. We’ll be back with the arc reactor soon. _Don’t go anywhere_. That is an order, I know how much you don’t care for those but, please just listen to this one. If not for yourself, do it for the safety of your team.”

Skye nods silently, a little embarrassed that she’s been so one-track minded all night, disregarding their orders, unconcerned of whether she was putting her friends in danger in the process or not. She leans back into the car and stares at her boots. Simmons stays on the sidewalk with her arms crossed and Fitz stands uncomfortably between the two of them.

 

 

In the end, everything works out. Ward and May wait for the kid at the bar to approach Osbourne with the arc reactor’s plans - a thin USB device that Cortazar had taped to one of the bills he gave to the kid. As expected, the dude’s body guards pull out their guns on them, but Ward and May kick their asses in true S.H.I.E.L.D.’s agent fashion. Osbourne and Cortazar are sent into custody with S.H.I.E.L.D. in different cars and Skye and the others never get to see the mysterious man.

The drive to the Bus is silent and no one makes an effort to break the tension. Skye sits next to Fitz on the back of the SUV, staring out of the window. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Jemma do the same on the other side of Fitz.

The mission was successful, but Skye doesn’t feel much like celebrating.


	4. Chapter 4

_ iv. _

 

Skye finds a cup of coffee - black, two sugars, just like she takes it - sitting on the counter the next morning. Simmons' been doing that for a few days now, but Skye thought she might stop after the night she made them suffer. Pressing the cup to her breastbone, she takes a breath and decides apologies are in order. She finds Fitz and Simmons in the Comm Room, tapping on the keyboard side by side. 

“Hey…” she says softly. The both of them turn towards her and she approaches them, the cup of coffee still warm in her hands. Simmons glances at it before continuing her tapping. “Guys, I don’t know what to say,” she starts. “I’m really sorry. I know I’m too impulsive and it’s fine if the only one that gets in trouble is me, but we’re a team and if I screw up, I drag you down with me.”

Jemma stops tapping and Fitz turns to her with his arms crossed. She counts it as a small victory.

“So, I promise it won’t happen again.” She puts a hand to her heart. “Girl scouts honor.”

Jemma rolls her eyes, but Skye can see a tiny smile pulling at her lips. “You were never a girl scout.”

“Well, no. But it’s the sentiment that counts.” She shifts from one foot to the other. “So… forgiven?”

Fitz sighs, dropping his arms down. “The mission was a success and no one got hurt, so, I’m already over it.” He glances at Simmons, then back at Skye. “I’m gonna head down to the lab. I’ll see you guys later.”

As soon as Fitz is out of the room, Skye puts the cup down and steps closer to Simmons, hands tugging and twisting at the ends of her sleeves.

“Jemma…” she starts. Simmons tilts her head slightly. “I’m so sorry I snapped at you. I wasn’t thinking clearly, I just- I kept thinking it was my fault; that our mission was going to be ruined because I missed something.”

“It’s okay,” Jemma says, surprising Skye. “One time I ruined a solution so far beyond repair because I confused triethyl citrate and nitric acid - I mean, really, they’re not even the same colour - anyway,” she turns to Skye a shrugs one shoulder, “I was so mad I punched the table and send a rack of test tubs flying. Later in the day someone cut themselves with a piece of glass.” Simmons rubs her forehead. “It wasn’t my brightest moment.”

Skye stares at her, confusion written all over her face.

“What I mean to say is, it’s okay. I understand wanting to get things right and getting frustrated when they don’t.” Simmons shrugs. “Besides, you were right and we caught the bad guy.”

“Yeah…” Skye nods, leaning back on the table and staring at the floor. “I just can’t help but feel so… inadequate. All the time. All my life really.” Skye thinks back to the dozens of foster homes, the families that sent her back to the system again and again, claiming that she was not what they wanted, never quite right, never enough. “Fitz and you are brilliant and so valuable for this team and Ward and May are like, real life action figures. And me, well, I can use a computer.”

“Skye…”

“No, it’s fine. I know I help sometimes, I know I’m a convenient _asset,_ ” she makes quotation marks with her fingers. “I just-“ she shrugs sadly, “I want to be more than that for once in my life.”

Simmons’ hands warp around hers and she steps closer, eyes fiery and intense. “Skye,” she says seriously, “you are the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met. You have an amazing gift and you’ve helped this team immensely.” Simmons eyes fall from her eyes to her cheeks, down to her lips and up to her eyes again. “I’m so glad we found you. You have no idea.”

Skye knows more than ever that she wants to kiss Jemma. She’s pretty sure Jemma would be okay with that. It’s not a new feeling, but it’s stronger than it’s ever been. It’s also inevitable, they’ve been going in this direction for a weeks, maybe ever more, and in the back of her mind, Skye knows sooner or later it has to happen. But she’s a mess right now, she’s still feeling shitty and she wants to apologize to Ward and May. Not only that but they’re in the middle of the Comm Room, the only room in the whole plane in which all four walls are transparent. So she pulls Simmons body into hers by the hands and buries her face into her shoulder, much like she did after the girl jumped off the plane.

She feels Simmons’ arms wrap around her middle and sigh deeply, so Skye squeezes tighter. They stay like that for a bit, holding each other for a few blissful minutes, until finally Skye pulls back and Simmons copies her reluctantly. Neither of them really know what else to say, so Skye gives her a look, one that says ‘not now, but soon’ and leaves.

 

 

Things between them don’t really change that much. They still hang out on their free time, pull pranks on Fitz together and touch each other with every possible excuse. Simmons keeps making Skye coffee every morning, much to Fitz displeasure, who complains she never did that for him. Jemma argues that a prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich with alioli pesto is much more work than a coffee.

They get more touchy-feely with each passing day. Skye notices her teammates' eyes on them whenever she stands behind Jemma to look over her shoulder and rests her chin there. Or when they hold hands outside of Skye’s room, saying their goodnight’s. Or when they cuddle up on the couch of the Lounge, whenever they have some free time.

One lazy afternoon, Simmons sits reading a scientific magazine with Skye’s head on her lap. The hacker is laying on the couch, her laptop on her stomach, browsing Tumblr. Sometimes Skye will chuckle and show Simmons some meme and the british girl would roll her eyes but smile anyway. Simmons hums and mumbles quietly about the article she’s reading, making Skye glance up to her from time to time.

“Listen to this: 80% of the american population will suffer from health issues because of unhappiness and dissatisfaction with their jobs,“ Jemma reads. She locks eyes with Skye. “Isn’t that interesting?”

“Mhm, I guess,” Skye sighs. “Doesn’t affect me though.”

Simmons tilts her head like a confused puppy. “What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Skye asks cheekily. “I’m extraordinary.”

Jemma snorts a laugh, throwing her head back and Skye closes her eyes and grins, enjoying the sound. 

“You’re a brat. That’s what you are,” Simmons says as she pinches Skye’s cheek, not being able to resist. Skye chuckles, hands coming up to trap Jemma’s and holding it to her chest. 

“I don’t think neither of us should worry about those statistics,” Skye affirms, fingers playing with the other girl’s.

“Maybe not. It’s still rather alarming.”

Skye hums her response and goes back to her Tumbling. Simmons drags her hand up to the hacker’s neck distractedly, her attention back to her magazine. They stay like that for a bit, with Simmons thumb rubbing gently on the underside of Skye’s jaw. Ward throws them a look on his way up to the Comm Room, but none of them notice.

 

 

Jemma pulls her into her bunk one night and tells her they’re watching classic Doctor Who.

“You're so british,” Skye teases even as she makes herself a comfy spot with Simmons pillows against the headboard.

“My nan used to watch this show religiously and she introduced it to me when I was very young,” Simmons confesses, taking a seat next to Skye and starting up her laptop. “It’s part of the reason I started getting interested in science and aliens.”

Skye smiles dopily at the thought of a young and impressionable Jemma, sitting in front of the TV with eyes wide as saucers as the TARDIS whirred and the Doctor saved the planet for the nth time.

They start with the first Doctor and soon, Skye loses interest. Not because she doesn’t like the show, but because she doesn’t have that emotional connection with it that Simmons has. Besides, there are more interesting things to look at in this room, she thinks as she turns on her side, watching Simmons face closely.

The girl is mouthing parts of the dialog from memory and Skye wishes she had a camera, the girl's such a cute dork. Her hands are resting on her stomach, over one of the many comfy sweaters she owns and she looks so warm and cozy that Skye inches a bit closer and slithers one arm over her middle, covering Jemma’s hand with hers. Simmons quickly glances down at the contact before going back to her show. Skye trails her fingers up to her wrist and down again, drawing lines with the tips over the pale skin, but her eyes are fixed on Simmons face. She wants to kiss her again. Hell, did she ever stop? She doesn’t think so; that need was always there, hidden under the surface, tempting her at every waking moment.

She sees Jemma swallow and her eyes follow the bobbing motion of her throat. Skye’s hand reaches Jemma's wrist again and she stops at her pulse point, feeling her blood drum relentlessly.

_Dadundadundadundadun_

“Are you okay?” Skye asks, her voice a little hoarse.

“Yes,” Simmons answers, barely above a whisper. “Why?”

“Your heartbeat is racing.”

_Dadundadundadundadun_

Simmons turns her head towards Skye slowly, almost unsure. Skye blinks up at her before she leans in, like in slow motion, and lays the gentlest kiss upon Jemma’s lips. The scientist lets out a shaky breath against Skye’s mouth.

“Why are you nervous?” Skye asks, genuinely curious. This was an inevitability. It wasn’t a matter of _if_ , but a matter of _when_. And Skye was waiting for the right moment until she realized she had the power to make any moment the right one.

Jemma quirks the corner of her lip up and says: “I don’t know.”

So Skye leans back in, her mouth more confident but just as gentle. When Simmons kisses back, Skye grabs at her side trying to hold onto something and bunching up the sweater in the process. She pushes herself up when one of Jemma’s hands end up at her waist, and kisses her deep and slow, with lips and teeth and tongue. Jemma gets over her nerves pretty fast and her weeks-old pent up desire finally catches up to her. The laptop is unceremoniously shut and thrown somewhere near the foot of the bed and suddenly Skye’s hands are everywhere, tangled in Jemma’s hair, on her neck, palm spread under the sweater but over her shirt. White teeth pull at Simmons’ lip and she lets out a whimper. At the noise, Skye leans back, breathing hard, and her dark eyes stare at Simmons’ blown pupils. She drops her weight onto the bed again, burying her face into Jemma’s neck and giving them both a chance to catch their breath.

Under her cheek Jemma’s pulse is as alive as ever.

_Dadundadundadundadun_

 

 

The rest of the team’s onto them. It’s not that they’re trying to hide how affectionate they are - and there is really nothing new there. The hand holding, the thank-you hugs, the whispered secrets thrown into Jemma’s ears as Skye is walking by that leave a pretty rosy tint to Jemma’s cheeks, the blatant ogling at Skye’s figure when she’s training - that’s become fairly common in the past weeks. But the disappearing in the middle of the day and coming back looking slightly disheveled is new. The sleeping in each other’s rooms and claiming they ‘fell asleep’ at breakfast is new. Fitz is going to go blind if he keeps rolling his eyes so hard every time they lie about their little rendezvous. But they can’t help it. Turns out there are so many hidden spots in the Bus for a quick make-out session; who knew? The maintenance closet next to the Supply Room being one of them. 

Skye’s leaning back on the dusty wall, fingers clutching at the edges of Jemma’s lab coat, while the girl kisses her thoroughly until her knees start to buckle.

“I’ve gotta go,” Simmons rasps, dropping her hands from Skye’s face to her sides.

“Nooo,” Skye whines. She gives the scientist the worst puppy-dog pout she’s ever seen, bottom lip jutted out and lashes batting. “Five more minutes.” It’s not even a question at this point, it’s a request, and she clarifies this when she pulls on Simmons coat, making her stumble into the warmth of her body.

“Skye, I need to-“ she’s cut off when Skye’s lips find her jaw. “Fitz will wonder-“ The hacker drags her teeth down to her pulse point, lips hovering and igniting every last nerve in Jemma’s body. “I should- I…”

Skye places a kiss to her neck and pulls back, trying and failing to hide her smirk. “You what?”

Simmons stares hungrily at that smile, then distractedly, almost like she’s convincing herself, she mumbles: “five more minutes,” before going back for more.

 

 

It’s been a while since Skye had any action; of the sexual kind, that is. That relapse with Miles being the last time. And God, she’s never been so on edge. Simmons has this way about her, where she could be doing the most mundane, innocent thing, and Skye would find it ridiculously attractive. And it’s the contrast of a proper, put-together Simmons with her ties and collared shirts, and the woman that bites at her earlobe in dark corners and puts her hand up under Skye’s shirt, flat on the small of her back, grounding her when all she wants is to let go.

Needless to say, Skye is more than a little frustrated. Not bad frustrated, she’d never push Simmons into anything. Just plain old horny - all day, every day. Touching herself only gets her so far. 

What she doesn’t know though, is that Simmons is in a very similar situation. Every night that they sleep in the same bed, she stays up until her mind shuts off from exhaustion because her body is too wired up to sleep. Don’t get her wrong, she absolutely adores sleeping with Skye, the girl is such a cuddle monster it’s actually amusing. But after every make-out session they go a little further, touch a little more skin, shed a few more clothes and Simmons is so, _so_ ready for it, she’s about to lose it. 

And like everything about their relationship, it happens just at the right moment.

Ward and May have been out all day, gone to a recon mission, something easy enough that Coulson though they could handle it themselves. Ward’s absence meant no training for Skye and she feels totally energized for once. Coulson is in his office, doing God-knows-what and Fitz is entertained with his new improved D.W.A.R.F.S. at the lab and will probably be for a couple hours.

Inside Jemma’s room, the window is fogging. They have the reading light on and a soft tune is flowing from Simmons’ music device. They’re making out like the world is going to end tomorrow, but that’s now new. Simmons, however, is only wearing a three-sizes too large t-shirt and panties, her choice of pajamas for the night - and really, was she trying to kill Skye? The hacker’s in her jeans, her shirt off, and she’s thinking of taking her bra off when she feels Jemma’s hand unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans. In one fluid motion, Simmons’ hand is inside the front of her pants and she’s pressing it to Skye’s center, firm but gentle.

“Fuck,” Skye chokes, breaking the kiss and staring at Jemma, who’s watching her through her lashes, so much desire Skye thinks she might just come from the sight.

Jemma licks her lips, not moving her hand but not putting it away either. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Skye replies ardently. She goes back to kissing Simmons, saying in a rush: “God, yes I’m okay.”

It’s all they both need to cross that last line.

 

 

Noises in the Lounge wake Jemma up the next morning - she was always a light sleeper.  Skye is curled up between her and the wall, one arm draped over her middle and her leg in between Simmons’. She blinks against the light filtering through the blinds and stretches, knowing Skye won’t wake up until she decides she’s slept enough. Her muscles complain and she’s sore in places she hasn’t been sore in a long time. It makes Jemma beam so hard her chapped lips hurt. 

She looks at the girl in her bed, hair mussed and lips parted, still deep into dreamland. Her body is warm and the feel of their naked bodies together makes her never want to leave that bed. On the other hand, her stomach is growling and there's work that needs to be done in the lab. It takes all of her willpower but she finally slips out of the bed and puts on her pajamas - the real ones, not the flimsy shirt she shamelessly used to seduce Skye - even if just to keep up the pretenses that all they did last night was sleep in the same bed. 

On a whim, Jemma leans down and smacks a kiss to Skye’s cheek. Not even that is enough to wake her, but the sleeping beauty does curl her lips up the tiniest bit. Simmons leaves for the Lounge, where May, Ward and Fitz are already having breakfast. The guys mumble a good morning, while May just flips the page of the newspaper she’s reading. It covers her whole head, so Simmons' not sure if she even saw her arrive. As every morning, Jemma prepares her tea, then Skye’s coffee, knowing that somehow, she’ll wake up just in time to have it still warm, but not as scalding as it is now. That girl, Simmons thinks with a small smile as she leans back against the counter and sips at her tea, it’s like she has a radar for things that are convenient.

Speaking of which, Skye drags her feet from Simmons room, wearing her shirt and pair of Simmons’ pajama pants. Her eyes are still half-closed and there’s a permanent grimace on her face that Jemma knows from experience, won’t disappear until half a cup of coffee is flowing in her veins. Jemma holds her coffee out for her and Skye accepts it without question, taking a few sips and moaning as it reaches her stomach. And then she does the strangest thing: she rasps “thank you,” and kisses Jemma on the lips. It’s short and chaste but Simmons is suddenly incredibly aware of the three pairs of eyes that are fixed on them. 

“Well, that’s a new development,” Fitz says teasingly. Next to him, May raises the newspaper back to cover her face and extends out a hand at Ward without a word. The agent groans and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a ten dollar bill and slapping it to May’s hand. The woman pockets the money and continues as if nothing happened.

Skye is still too out of it to realize what just happened, but Jemma gapes at them incredulously. She’s about to protest about the whole exchange when a still sleepy Skye drops her head onto her shoulder. Simmons looks down at the brunette mane and sighs instead.

_ fin. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and that the Skimmons fandom keeps growing!


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